The Swiss ski champion won silver at slalom and gold in the team event at the 2018 Olympics…

Ski Dubai is known around the world for its innovation – being the first ski slope in the UAE where you can learn how to ski or perfect your technique right here in Dubai. But it’s not every day it plays host to an Olympic gold medallist.

That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, October 17 when Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medallist, Ramon Zenhäusern took to the slopes at the Mall of the Emirates.

The reason for his visit is the result of an exciting partnership between UAE Skiers and Switzerland Tourism where, together, they’re aiming to see the first Emirati skier participate in the 2026 Olympics.

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As part of the ground-breaking collaboration, the UAE Skiers are currently forming a junior team of young Emirati skiers who show promise to become part of the future UAE National Team.

Starting their skiing journey on the slope at Ski Dubai, these young skiers will then have the opportunity to be taught by world-class skiing trainers in Switzerland to prepare them for participation in the iconic worldwide games in 2026.

A Swiss skiing hero, Ramon won silver at slalom and gold in the team event at the 2018 Olympics. After taking a few runs down Ski Dubai’s 400m slope, he also met and skied with some of the young Emirati talents, hoping to inspire them further for future Olympic success.

It’s not all been work whilst he’s been in Dubai though. He’s managed to cram in some of its coolest attractions, visiting the desert where he held a falcon, the UAE national bird, and even attempted slalom skiing down some of the steepest sand dunes. He’s also planning to visit the Burj Khalifa during his stay.

UAE Skiers president Ibrahim Khadim mentioned: “To work together with Switzerland is fantastic, Switzerland offers not only great ski areas but also the best facilities for developing our UAE talents. Ramons presence will certainly inspire them further.”

The future just keeps getting brighter for the UAE…

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Images: What’s On Dubai